The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Rated T)
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland
Genre: Science Fiction Thriller
Dwight's Rating: 2.5
Just in time for the holidays, a turkey analogy:
You know the feeling when it's time for the big Christmas or Thanksgiving meal, and you see that plump, beautiful, glistening, golden turkey, straight out of the oven and smelling all amazing?
You slice into it, and take that first bite. And, oh dear! It's dry and tasteless!
You immediately look around, searching for any way to fix this desert-like bird and make it more palatable. Should you paste on the cranberry sauce? Douse it in gravy? Re-baste it?
Such is the case with the new film "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1". And instead of that member of the bird family, this third installment in the series might as well have been named "Turkey".
The movie picks up where "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" leaves off. Following the Quarter Quell, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) becomes part of a secret rebellion spreading throughout Panem to overthrow President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Meanwhile, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is now brainwashed and a captive pawn of President Snow.
If none of that makes any sense to you, then you've probably not watched either of the previous installments. And you may not want to start now - not with this movie. Sadly, though, even if you have been watching, don't get your hopes up for much in the way of excitement.
This is the penultimate installment in this series. And unfortunately, like so many of these editions in these kinds of franchises - "The Matrix Reloaded", "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", and especially "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" - it suffers the same fate; there's not a whole lot going on other than tons of priming for the finale.
This era of long-running movie franchises has reduced the theater experience to watching annually-released two-hour television serials. Too often it feels like we're watching any ordinary episode of a TV show, filled with long, uneventful and unnecessary dialogue, and usually lots of journeys with limited action. All the while, we're just sitting and waiting for something, anything of significance to happen.
I can't really point to any really significant plot twist or event in "Mockingjay, Part 1". Unlike the shiftless "Twilight" movies, which actually improved with each new edition (they couldn't really get any worse), "The Hunger Games" series is regressing. The original is the best to date, and is still the most thrilling and captivating. As such, it was able to build unprecedented anticipation for "Catching Fire". But quite a bit of the magic and luster was lost with last year's edition. However, "Catching Fire" looks spectacular next to "Mockingjay".
I considered rating it as merely "watchable". Instead, it gets a "not bad", earning some extra points as a result of its talented cast, which despite a lack of material, still manages to give it the old college try. The unbelievable Jennifer Lawrence is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses. Like Meryl Streep, Lawrence continues to amaze me with her ability to seem like such a totally different person in each of her roles. There are scores of much-beloved actors who have never been able to master this, and always seem to be playing essentially the same person.
Also delightful are Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks in their small roles. There's also the wonderful Julianne Moore, wasted in a role that could have been played by an extra. And, of course, this is the final performance of the great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Even here, it is evident that the film world has lost a great.
But sadly, there is not much for any of them to do. So even for fans - and probably especially for fans - if you miss this one, it's no big deal. And honestly, one may also wonder - especially since "The Hunger Games" has strayed so much from the heights established in the original - whether anyone should care anymore.
Like turkey is rumored to do, "Mockingjay" may put you straight to sleep. So you may want to skip it, and rest up for the big, juicy bird we're hoping and praying "Mockingjay, Part 2" will be.
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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